Effect of SiC particle size on flexural strength of porous self-bonded SiC ceramics

Abstract

Porous self-bonded silicon carbide (SBSC) ceramics were fabricated from SiC powders with various particle sizes (0.7 μm, 25 μm, 50 μm, 65 μm), plus Si, C and boron (as a sintering additive). The effects of submicron (0.7 μm) SiC particle incorporation into the SBSC and the SiC particle size (25 μm, 50 μm, 65 μm) on the flexural strength and porosity of the ceramics were investigated as a function of sintering temperature. Incorporating 0.7 μm SiC particles into the ceramic material containing 25 μm SiC particles increased the flexural strength by 3 times, from 11.7 MPa up to 35.5 MPa after sintering at 1800 °C. Simultaneously, the porosity was reduced by ∼5 %. Furthermore, the flexural strength of ceramic with 25 μm SiC particles was superior to that with 65 μm SiC particles. Generally, the flexural strength of the SBSC increased as, both, a function of submicron SiC particle incorporation along with relatively small micron-sized particles (25 μm) in the microstructure of the ceramic plus increased sintering temperature.